Old Dominion aims for national title on way out of CAA

BALTIMORE — When Old Dominion football coach Bobby Wilder got the phone call from athletic director Wood Selig that the Monarchs were moving to Conference USA, the hours leading up to the official announcement were a swirl of excitement and focus.

On the drive back to Norfolk from a fund-raising trip to Washington, D.C., Wilder hit upon the message he would deliver to his players amid the hype of the program's future jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The 2012 season would be about the small window that the program has to accomplish its goal. As Wilder put it: one team, one year, one shot.

On their way out the Football Championship Subdivision door, the Monarchs aren't eligible for the Colonial Athletic Association championship. But they can earn an at-large playoff berth and still compete for the national title before the program begins a two-year transition period into FBS and Conference USA.

"This is our last opportunity as an FCS team for the national championship," Wilder said. "That theme of 'one team, one year, one shot,' has motivated all of our players and coaches since May 17 that there's a real strong sense of urgency right now."

Wilder and the staff have leaned on the team captains to emphasize the message to the entire team.

"We've made it clear to the team, us captains, that this is the only year we can win something in the time we're here," sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke said. "This is the only time we can win the national championship and get a ring.

"In the next two years, it's just transition years. You can't win a bowl game, you can't win the conference, so this is the year to do it. That's why everyone is really focused and excited about this year. When the next two years come, we'll be really excited about that, but everybody's really zoned in on this year."

The Monarchs have traveled an accelerated competitive curve since resurrecting the program five years ago. They were 17-5 in their first two years, then went 10-3 and advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs last season in their first year as a competing CAA member.

Then came a flurry of conference realignment and the whirlwind courtship with Conference USA, resulting in the May 17 announcement that ODU athletics would join in the summer of 2013.

"People were already excited for football. The excitement is just that much higher," senior linebacker Craig Wilkins said. "After three years, moving to Division I-A, that's pretty crazy. It's far beyond any of our imaginations. When I signed here, I definitely didn't think it would happen that fast. I knew at some point the program would be I-A because of the community and the success of the program, but I didn't think it would happen this fast."

The Monarchs' 55-48 loss at Georgia Southern, the No. 2 overall seed in last year's playoff field, signaled that deep postseason runs were attainable. They have one more chance at such a scenario.

Given the CAA's strength and recent history, a top-three or even a top-four finish in the conference all but guarantee a playoff berth. The league has landed at least four teams in the field every year since 2007. ODU was picked to finish second behind defending champ Towson.

"I want people to be excited. I want the expectations to be high," Wilder said Wednesday at CAA preseason media day in Baltimore. "Last year, I remember doing some interviews up here, where people were asking if I was able to keep the expectations realistic. I said, I don't want them to be realistic. I want people to think that wherever we play, we're going to compete for championships. I want that to be the expectation of the 12th Monarchs.

"That needs to be the goal this year, that we're going to try to compete for the national championship. And then when we make the move to FBS and Conference USA, we're going to compete for championships in that league. I always want that to be the mindset of the players and of the fan base and our school, that we're always going to be a team that competes for championships."